Railway-gar



(No Model.) l 2 shets-sheet 1.

' y R. H. WYIVIAN.

RAILWAY UAB..

Patented Jan. 22', 1884.

Illu

odg.

UNI-#ren .STATEsi PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD VFMAN, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 292,192, dated January 22, 1884.

Application filed November 23, 1883. (Xo model.)

To all whom t may concern.

ter uncovered and the position ofthe cover when thrown back. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view in plan on the line x w, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is 'a detail view in plan, and Fig. 6 an end view of the same, being the ratchet and lever for raising and lowering the cover.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in the different gures.

Various disadvantages, annoyances, and pel cuniary losses have heretofore-been experienced by railway companies and shippers in the use of .open cars for the shipment of coal and other loose articles of like character. The coal is not only damaged by snow and ice, `but it frequently becomes frozen together, rendering it difficult and expensive to unload. Thieves'often board the trains and throw coal from the cars while 'in transit, and steal it' while-the'cars stand upon the tracks. This not-only 'causes shortage directly, but the fact that it can be accomplished furnishes dishonest consignees au excuse for fraudulently claiming shortage when there is none. l Another serious loss to the railway companies lies in the fact that they are unable to transport high-class freight in open cars, and hence are in most cases compelled to make the return trip empty, the loss from which is obvious.

The purpose of my invention is to overcome these difficulties by providing a movable cover capable of being applied to the ordinary coal-car, which shall possess the advantages of being light, durable, compact, inexpensive, easily and readily operated, and which shall form athorough protection to the goods transporteditherein, both from the elements and from thieves, thereby rendering said cars ca 4 pable of use for various classes of freight. I

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view accomplish said object by placing .upon each side of the car one or more convex plates or shells of metal, wood, or compressed paper, but preferably the former, extendingfrom end to end of said car, and adapted to move either upon rollers or otherwise in the segment of a circle, the edges meeting when closed over the top of said car above its center,'and thewhole forming s a complete cover thereto of a semicylindrical shape. I prefer to operate said covers by means of shafts, one upon each side of the car at any convenient point, said shafts being provided with suitable pinions adapted to engage with segmental racks, which may be sustained in -position bymeans of a ratchet and pawl, the turning of said shafts in one direction causing the two halves of said cover to meet as stated, while a reverse movement separates them-each moving outward and downward in a position adjacent to the side of :the car, where it occupies comparatively. little space, and does not interfere with the loading or unloading of said car. Said covers maybe made in sections, so that a portion only of the carmay be exposed at once, which plan possesses many advantages, all of which will Vbe hereinafter more fully described, and definitely pointed out in the claims.' Y

In the drawings, A represents the endboard, and B B the side-boards, of the box of an ordinary coal or open car, B B being the framework to which they are secured.

Proj ect-ing outward from a point at or near the bottom of said yside-boards, I secure, by means of bolts or in anywell-'known manner, the bracket-s C C C, a top view of which is shown in Fig. 4.- Said brackets are designed to form a support for the cover, as hereinafter described.

C C C C represent convex plates,preferably of iron, and which I prefer to have extend the entirelengthy of the car to form a cover there? for. Said plates, which may constructed as shown, or corrugated, and may bemade of any suitablematerial, are supported in the position shown by means of segmental bars D D D, each of which is rigidly secured at its upA per end to the plates E E, indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l, but morcfclearly `shown in Runninglengtl1wise,and

preferablynponthc top ofthe side-boardsB B, I place shafts F F, secured in bearingsf i, bolted to said boards, as in Fig. 5, one of which said shafts is shownin Fig. 2 running thefulllength of the car, though the same may be divided, as hereinafter stated, upon which shafts are rigidly secured pinions j" f, two or more of which I place upon each shaft, said pinions being adapted to engage with racks, as clearly shown in the drawings,v upon the under side of the segmental bars D. Said bars are of sufficient length to extend from a central point above the top of the car, as shown in Fig. l, to a point somewhat below the brackets C C on either side ot said car, said bars D passing through sockets in the brackets C, the outside ot" said bars at the lower ends respectively bearing against friction-rollers c c c, secured, as shown, within or to the brackets. Upon one or both ends of each of the shafts FF, I place ratchet-wheels j" f, which are held in position normally by means of the spring-eatchesfifi, Figs. l and ti, thereby preventing the shafts from revolving in more than one direction when said catches are permitted to act. rlhus it is obvious that the segmental racks D D,when resting upOn said pinions f f, with their lower ends sustained in the brackets against the rollers c c,will be supported in the form of an arch above the body ofthe car, and in turn must support the plates C C C C above them, thus forming a complete cover to the ear. rIhe outer ends of the shafts F F are squared, as shown in Figs. l, 5, and (3, and by placing a wrench or crank-lever, G, thereon, as shown in said lastnamed figures, and withdrawing said springcatches jt f2, the racks may be lowered and raised at will, their position when at the lowest point being shown in the dotted lines in Fig. l.

Proieeting outward,preferabl y from near the top ot' the side-board B, I place brackets C, one of which is shown in Fig. 3. with rollerbearings cT therein, through which brackets the bars I) pass, being supported and guided thereby. Other brackets, C'hwith like rollers c on their outer ends, as shown in said figure, are projected from the top of said boards B to form bearings for the movement of the sections C thereon.

The 'plates C C are bent inward, as shown in Fig. 3, forming iiauges E, which serve not onlyto stiifen and support said cover and pre` vent it from sagging when closed, but f'oim an apron to prevent coal from falling between the side-boards and cover, as well as to pro teet said shaft and pinions when the cover is thrown back. Said plates C C are likewise re-enforeed by means ot the plates C" C, Figs. l and 3, which are intended to form a walk upon the top ot' the car when the cover is closed, as in Fig. l. The lower edge ofthe plates C C are bent inward, forming flanges c' c thereon. Short flanges ct ci (better shown in Fig. 4c) serve as bearings for the rollers c c", which areintended toprevent friction between the plates CC when the coveris moved. Corresponding flanges, c c, are bent outward upon the upper edge ofthe plates C C in such manner that when the plates C C are raised the flanges ci c2 engage therewith and lift said plates or sections C C upward, as shown in Fig. 1, so that their lower edges are even, or nearly so, with the tops, respectively, of t-he sideboards B l5.

y To maintain the bottoms of the sections C C/ in position, I attach eyebolts c" cf' ci thereto, connecting the same with guidebars H H H, bolted, as shown, to the frame-work ofthe car and to the side-boards 'B B. To further stiften the sections C C C/ C. as well as to form guides for the movement of one over the other, and to hold them securely in position, I secure thereto flan ged ribs c" c c c, Fig. 4, which permit the outer plate to slide back and forth over the other, while at the same time they are prevented from separating.

To prot-ect and inclose the ends ot' the car, I secure to each ofthe end-boards A, (but one of which is showin) by means of hinges a a a, Fig. 1, a board or plate, A. This is prevented from swinging outward and is securely held yin position by the flanges E E', Fig. l, the lowering ofthe sections C C serving to release said end plates, A', which may then fold downward against the endboards A. As shown in Fig. fl and in the dotted lines in Fig. l, the sections C C fold or slide over each other, the bottom of each resting when thrown back upon the brackets C" C, 'and the whole occupying but little more space than the sideboards B Il. \Vhen the cover is closed, the sections C C may be locked together by means of a hasp and padlock, or in any well-known manner, when it is obvious that said cover must remain in a secure position, and thus form a thorough protection to the ear. Should a further support for said cover be needed other than the pinions j', the segmental bars I) may be secured by inserting pins through them, through or above the brackets C.

The shafts F may be divided into two or more sections or independent pieces, and ecrresponding divisions made inthe plates C C C C, by which arrangement a portion only ot' the ear may be uncovered at a time, said seetions taking the place of' doors.

I do not confine myself to the specific mode ot' raising and lowering said covers, or of supporting the same, as they may be supported at the ends of the car and elsewhere by lneans of arms attached to each section, and having pivotal bearings at or near the bottom of the car, said arms being drawn together and the sections raised by chains and a windlass, or in other equivalent ways; nor is it essential in using the shafts F that they be placed upon the top ofthe side-boards I3, as it is apparent that the same may be located upon the sides of the ear, or at the bottomot the frame, andrender equally' good results.

It is furthermore apparent that instead ot dividing each half of' said cover into sections, they may be made in one piece, in which case IOO IIO

they would, when open, occupy greater space, extending considerably below the bottom of the car.

The advantages of my invention are manifold, and are impliedly enumerated in the fore-, going statement of disadvantages incident to the use of open cars, all of which it is believed it is `Well calculated to overcome.

I am aware that cars o'f this class have been made having movable covers, in which but a portion' of the car could be uncovered at a time, the disadvantages of which are obvious and Wholly unsuited to the present requirements oi' commerce. In such cars only one side could be loaded at a time, Iand the goods either moved therein by hand, or the cover re# versed While the other portion was being loaded. In the case of loading coal, ore, or other like material from a long steep chute, as isnow the common practice, the car, being but partially uncovered, either could not be satisfactorily loaded Without much hand-labor, or the portions of the cover remaining over the car would become battered and injured, if not wholly'ruined, by the severe shocks incident to loading in this manner. With Vmy improved cover I am enabled to uncover the entire car at once, the covers being adjusted at the sides, While the aprons described not only protect them from injury, but, being hopper-shaped, tend to prevent thercoal from falling over the sides, thus saving labor in trimming7 Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent. 1S-

4 l. A movable cover for railway freight or coalvcars, consisting of the plates C C C G', having lsegmental racks D D attached thereto, shafts F, pinions f, ratchetsf, guide-bars H, cyebolts C5, and brackets C3, whereby the car vmay be wholly uncovered While loading and unloading, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2'. A movablesectional cover for railway freight or coal cars, consisting. of the plates C 45 

